ROSWELL, Ga. – State Sen. John Albers, R-Roswell, launched his campaign in September for re-election to the 56th District at a fundraiser at the Roswell home of Robert Hagan.

Albers is seeking his second term in office. He currently serves as chairman of the State Institutions and Property Committee and is vice chairman of the Public Safety Committee. He also serves as a member of the Economic Development and Finance committees.

Speaking at the kickoff, Albers said he has made a number of issues his priorities for the upcoming session. First is to protect the elderly and those with special needs from those who single out these people for abuse – both economic and physical.

“Whether it is in the home or under institutional care, I want to make sure those people who prey on the weaker citizens never get that chance again,” Albers said.

His second goal is to make Georgia energy independent.

“Georgia is a gateway for natural gas. We have the third largest port in the U.S. We can make Georgia the logistics gateway as well,” he said.

Georgia must also explore ending its state income tax, he said, to better compete with national and regional economic development competition to bring new businesses and jobs to Georgia and retain those it already has.

Albers pointed out that Tennessee and Florida have already eliminated their state income tax, and several other Southern states including North Carolina and Virginia are contemplating it.

“We must do it in a responsible way, so that we can continue to balance our budget,” he said.

Based on per capita spending, Georgia has the lowest cost of government of all 50 states, Albers said.

In education, Albers said he would support steps to improve Georgia’s standing among the states. One way to do that would be to replace textbooks with tablets and slates. Putting technology in the hands of young students would go a long way to introducing all of them to the technology they will need to use once they are ready to enter the job market or college.

This would be especially helpful to students in rural counties where upgrading technology skills is greatest.

“With textbooks getting updated every few years, it will be cheaper in the long run because all you will need to do is change the software,” he said. “Use electronic textbooks and put everything online.”